As a final-year Ph.D. student myself, I can't agree more with what you said! Thank you for the very nice video! Please let me emphasize one point further: I believe it's important for candidates to focus not on who they are and whether they are good enough during the interview, but instead on what the project is about, what needs to be done, what are the knowns and unknowns, what outcome the supervisors are hoping to achieve, etc. This shift does two things: first, it allows you as a candidate to escape the trap of constant self-doubt (or at least to alleviate the negative effects of it to a certain degree). Second, it fundamentally changes the nature of the questions you'll be asking and, as a consequence, how you'll be perceived by the committee. Imagine you're already in charge. What's next? In that sense, "reality-check" questions are very good, e.g., "Do I understand it correctly that we know this and that, but we don't know this and that other thing?", "What's the fundamental difficulty here? Why hasn't it all been done 50 years ago? (well, not in these words, this will sound harsh and arrogant) Am I right that this is because of this and that? Is there any hope of circumventing these problems?" In a way, these questions signal to the committee that you are on a quest of doing whatever the project is about anyway, and they are only there to help you on your way. *You*'re the main character, *you*'ll be the one carrying the project forward. Others are there to help you, not the other way around. (This is not just some kind of mantra, this is what doing a Ph.D. actually involves a lot of the time, especially a little further down the road, with all the good and bad things this implies.) Obviously, I was doing none of these things and asking none of these questions during my Ph.D. interviews back then. I can only give this advice with the benefit of hindsight! Now that I'm looking for postdoc positions, I'm trying to use some of it to my own benefit :) Good luck everyone!
This is so important! And you've said it so so well! Feel free to leave this comment on my interview video as well as it will benefit so many students! Thank you for taking the time out to write this!
@@oxford_phd the interview video is great as well, thanks for the suggestion! I've added the comment there-I agree it fits well (I just didn't check your other videos before posting my comment here). Thank you for the amazing content!
Hi Hira, thank you for your video it’s so helpful. I’m an international student as well and I’m considering applying to either MPhil or PhD of Islamic studies/oriental studies at Oxford. Not sure yet which one to apply for. I have a masters degree in Islamic Finance at Durham University. Do you have any suggestions?
Heyy, could you do a video on your masters experience please? You mentioned it briefly in the video but I was wondering if it would be possible to find out more about how you studied/researched, what you learnt from doing a stand alone masters before a PhD and maybe if your mindset has changed from then and now? Your videos have been really helpful and informative regarding PhD applications and burnout so I was wondering if you have any advice or wisdom in relation to masters because that is the stage I'm at but struggling to find content on youtube that have a more reflective perspective on the masters experience from a PhD student if that makes sense?😅 (All that said, I understand you have no obligation to make such a video)
Hi Hira! So glad to see your RU-vid page. I'm planning to apply to M+DPhil in Economics at Oxford. Is there a way I cN reach out to you for general advice? I am based from Pakistan so I do agree that there is a stressor for scholarships especially in the UK. :(
I've coped with several rejections so far and thought I was pretty good at dealing with it...but the email UEA sent this morning was the worst one 😭 I knew I already hadn't succeeded because I would've known earlier this week but their email was LITERALLY like "you SUCK compared to the other candidates, your application wasn't as good as theirs". The other rejections I've had were a little nicer :') I really didn't need to get an email basically telling me I suck RIGHT before I have two more interviews. I'm aware that I probably was not the worst candidate since I got 2 pre interviews from them (if I absolutely sucked they wouldn't have wasted their time talking to me) and I KNOW it was competitive, and I know that I'm probably among dozens, possibly even hundreds of others who received the same email. But yeah, the wording of that email made me die inside a bit.
I'm so sorry to hear that. What were there words? The "we had a lot of excellent candidates" is a standard response it doesn't mean you sick compared to others!!! Good luck on your other two interviews, if you haven't watched my "my Oxford interview" video it goes a bit into how I thought I messed up at the beginning of an interview but I picked myself up and made up for it. So keep going, pick yourself up, and I'm sure you'll do great in your next ones! Best wishes!
@@oxford_phd They told me "your application did not meet the standard of other applications in this field". Meaning "you're not the best applicant" but it comes off as "your application SUCKED compared to everyone else's, it was subpar, you are NOT good enough to even apply" when worded that way. I know my application wasn't that bad because I was at least interviewed by both my chosen supervisors. Still, I thought the rejection was worded unnecessarily rudely. None of my other rejections were worded like that. But I have now been nominated for interview with DTP panels at 2 other unis now and also have a CASE project interview next week 😸 so it's not so bad! Plus I'm doing a really interesting internship in bioinformatics. Thank you for your videos, they really helped me with the application process!
@@zigzaglychee7324 Ah never mind those rude comments, they're just ridiculous for writing that. So unnecessary ugh! You keep going and do amazing at your next interviews which I'm sure you will! Success is the best revenge 💪💪
I have applied for PhD positions through my own proposal and i am invited to the interview for next week, what are your suggestions about what will be questions about?
Hi Hira. I've found your videos very helpful for my applications process. I'm applying for a PhD in stem cell biology in the UK, as an international student. And as you mentioned in the video I'm running into funding restrictions. I'm applying to a few top universities already but am also trying to figure out what 2nd-tier universities would be best to apply to, where I'm likely to get admitted and funded (universities with good program but less competition). Do you have any suggestions from your experience. If you already have a video on funding, could you link it here, I couldn't find it. Thanks =)
I m really inspired by your hijab instead of being a prestigious university graduate. You kept your foundation strong and not fell into cultural pressure. You are chosen one MashaAllah
Hi Hira! Thanks for the wonderful video! I have actually applied for oxford this year, had my interview on 24th January and I am waiting for my final results. I always keep checking my inbox and hopefully to get a admit. I am an international student and this is gonna be a big one if I get this. Just a quick info, I would like to know, that when did you have your interview and what was the wait time after that ?
Hey Sanjay! Thanks for your nice comment. Big congrats for being invited and I know how much more difficult it is as an international student! Waiting time really varies from course to course, sometimes it's as soon as 2 weeks sometimes up to a month or longer. Hope you get great news back and if you don't then you know what to do - it is not the end but a redirection to other wonderful things (maybe even back to Oxford but more skilled and competitive). Best wishes, keep me updated please!!
Hi you can look at different university's websites and look at their biochemistry department. Or you can Google PhD in biochemistry UK to find programmes.
You are a bright, rising star. I am very proud of you. Continue your determination and amazing attitude. I gave up on top-name universities for reasons that align with my strong belief in equal opportunity in education. I chose an online university that has a dismal rating but awards more PhDs than any university in the US, particularly to women and minorities. Last year, I applied to 4 universities including my undergraduate alma mater. I was shocked to get a rejection from all four. I already have a Ph.D., a GPA of higher than 3.85, and my dissertation was published. I also had two Master's degrees. I met someone like me who had applied to 10 universities and was rejected by all but one. I am in a second PhD program but I will soon be applying for fellowships and post-doctoral research programs. The experience of rejection has prepared me for what could happen. I will not let it deter me from applying again.
Hmm that's interesting. I do wonder if your rejection was due to overqualification, as you already have a Masters and PhD. Sometimes that can also be the case! Best wishes for your endeavours and thank you so much for your kind words!
@@oxford_phd And, or possibly, age discrimination. The problem with knowledge production institutions is that they are often overrated, hypocritical, and discriminatory. Few in academia will admit that these institutions discriminate and severely limit access to education. There is a difference between education and knowledge. Knowledge is the state of knowing or learning something, while education is the ability to critically assess and use what you know. Knowledge can be found anywhere. Education is found only in specific environments. It used to be that education was a process in which scholars sat with their students or apprentices, and students were afforded the opportunity to learn without economic or prejudicial barriers. Abu Hanifa (رحيم الله) held circles and took in students from everywhere often paying their expenses while they studied. See the book Life and Times of Abu Hanifa (رحيم الله).
Hi! Thanks for your question. So my deadlines were in December then we heard back around late January/early Feb and interviews were mid-Feb. So I'd say 3-5 weeks but could differ based on programme.
